The Norm Gray Jazztet perform music by the great American jazz composers from the 1930s to the 1960s.

The sound is smooth, swinging and sophisticated.

For this gig, they will be joined by Wayne Parker on guitar, with Norm Gray on flugelhorn, trumpet and vocals, and Simon Wigney on double bass.

Saturday, The Resignators @ Spa Bar, Daylesford

Korweinguboora-based ska punk rock band The Resignators have been bringing their brand of Aussie ska punk to the area for the past 11 years.

The Resignators’ sound is defined from the past where members honed their craft learning from voodoo princess in the Caribbean and playing in local and international bands.

It’s a sound of melodic horns and floating keyboards fuelled by a tight, hard-hitting rhythm section powered by a Jamaican inspired back beat. Plus, you can dance to them.

Friday, Friday Frivolities @ Old Hepburn Hotel

The usual Friday night festivities.

Happy Hour from 6-8pm, cocktails, plus trivia, Joker Poker, Bar Wars, community raffle and footy tips.

Saturday, Cigar Box Guitar Festival, 2pm @ Old Hepburn Hotel

There has been a recent resurgence in the popularity of cigar box instruments.

The first traces of cigar box instruments existed from 1840 to 1860, with the first illustration from an etching copyrighted in 1876 showing a Civil War soldier playing a cigar box fiddle.

Cigar box guitars and fiddles were important in the rise of jug bands and blues.

Most of these performers were African-Americans – many could not afford a “real instrument”. 

During the Depression in the 1930s, instruments were beyond the means of most people, but with an old cigar box and a piece broom handle, the cigar box guitar was born.

The hypnotic sounds and grooves along with the colourful lyrics telling their stories, music of the Deep South became a worldwide phenomenon.

Steve Plater, an award-winning player of many instruments, has been building and playing cigar box guitars over some time now, with a lot of his instruments proudly owned and played by cigar box guitar lovers.

This fast-growing popularity, along with a cigar box festival being such a success in Yackandandah, prompted Plater to approach management at the Old Hepburn Hotel to stage the inaugural Cigar Box Guitar Festival.

The festival will include workshops and lessons from Plater himself.

Cigar box guitars from many great cigar box guitar builders will be on sale.

All of this comes with loads of great live music form heaps of well-known performers local and interstate, including Plater, Salty Dog and Rhiannon Simpson.  

Cost: $20. For more information, or to buy tickets, contact Sue on 0408 549 287.

Friday, The Larks @ Blue Bean Cafe

Saturday, Brett Franke @ Blue Bean Cafe

Sunday, Open Mic @ Blue Bean Cafe

Sunday, Lunar Dust @ Daylesford Cidery

Vanessa Craven, of Welsh-Indian background, is an Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

She has been passionate about guitar playing since her early teens in India.

Since 2009, she has played her music in a variety of events and venues such as the Denny Roots and Blues Festival, Newstead Folk Festival, Castlemaine Fringe Festival, Daylesford Folk and Blues Festival and the Ballan Autumn Festival, to mention a few.

Influences range from guitar maestros such as Ry Cooder to singer-songwriters such as Janis Ian.

On this occasion, Don Gula on double bass and Vanessa Craven on guitar, lap-slide and harmonica will play as a duo, bringing some smooth vocals and easy listening.

Music which will go well with a glass or two of wine, beer or cider.